"Have fun, darling. Will you miss me?" Loki asked, a hint of vulnerability in his eyes as he held me. One of his hands caressed the curve of my pregnancy. 

"No, I'm going to be having too much fun with the girls to miss your hot, sexy ass," I teased, keeping my tone light. "I guess I'll have to ask one of them to keep me warm at night."

Loki's eyes flared with heat, then narrowed. "If it's female hands you want on your body, you know you have only to ask."

I burst out laughing at his clear jealousy. Tugging his hair to tilt his head down for a lingering kiss, I reassured him. "The only one I want is you, my love. Male or female. My preference is this incredibly sexy male body you are currently sporting, but if you want to experiment with me some time, I'm open to that. I love you. Yes, of course I'll miss you. I won't close off our bond, so you'll feel me here." As I let my feelings flow through to him, I put my hand on his chest while looking up into his eyes.

Loki's expression cleared, and he smiled, cupping my cheek with long fingers, his thumb stroking. "Sorry, I know that. But I've just never had so much to lose before. My love. My soulmate. My son. At times, it scares and overwhelms me. I love you, Shannon. In this wide universe, there isn't anything more important to me than you."

His love was a warmth in my chest, wrapping around my heart, and our lips met in a slow, thorough exploration full of tenderness.

"Are you two lovebirds done, yet? We're going to be late," Kara asked, poking her head out the door of the flat to the foyer where Loki and I stood. Mist stuck her head out as well.

Loki nodded to each of them. "Thank you for going with her."

"Yeah, you don't have to thank us, Loki. We would go with Shannon to watch her back, even if she wasn't our princess. She's one of us now," Mist said.

Kara nodded in agreement.

"Still, I appreciate it," Loki said. "And yes, I'm heading out now," Loki added with an eye roll.

A laugh burst out of me at his expression.

With one more lingering kiss to scatter my senses, he stepped into the elevator and left for Pinewood Studios.

Walking down the stairs, and then out onto the street, Kara, Mist, and I flagged down a cab. After a brief ride, we were standing in front of Harry and Elise's London home. Harry answered the door, ushering us inside. "She's just saying goodbye to the kids. How was your flight out?"

"Good. No delays. An easy trip," I said, avoiding any details. Even understanding the necessity, I still wasn't entirely comfortable lying. It wasn't something I managed quickly or spontaneously with any real skill. "How have you been?"

"Great! Enjoying the time off with the kids and Elise. It's been a busy few years."

"I'll say! Sorry to keep you waiting!" Elise said, as she came into sight, descending the central staircase to the foyer.

I introduced Mist and Kara, apologizing to Harry for not doing so earlier.

"Sorry! Jet lag brain," I said.

"No worries." He smiled.

Elise led us through the house to their garage and the RAV4 inside.

"I have the same vehicle! Do you have the hybrid, too?" I asked.

"Ha! See, yet another reason we were destined to be friends," Elise said. "Yeah, we have the hybrid, and I love it."

We put our bags in the back and piled in, with Mist and Kara taking the back seat.

"It's a five-and-a-half-hour drive," Elise said, as we drove away from their house.

Even with a few stops to see various sights and to have lunch, it went quickly. Just shortly after the three o'clock check-in, we arrived at the resort.

"What do you ladies think about heading to the spa for a soak in the Jacuzzi tubs to recover from our journey?" I suggested, as we dumped our bags in our rooms, exploring the cottage.

"That sounds brilliant," Elise agreed, and Mist nodded.

"Kara?" I asked.

"I'm game!" she shouted from her room.

Gathering our swimsuits, we walked down the paths to the spa. After changing, we followed directions to the outdoor Jacuzzi tubs nestled among rock formations. A waiter came over to give us a menu and ask if we wanted any drinks. Surprisingly hungry, I ordered a virgin pina colada when it was my turn, and several trays of appetizers as well. Yet, I wouldn't have thought I'd used much energy since departing Asgard.

With my ring disguising my pregnancy from ELise, I relaxed into the hot bubbling water, letting it soak into my body. Instead of chlorine, all the tubs and pools were salt water. It was heavenly. As I listened to Elise, Kara, and Mist talk about hair and clothes, I closed my eyes.

"Wake up, Shannon," Mist said, lightly shaking my shoulder. "Don't go drowning yourself."

I opened my eyes and realized I'd drifted off.

"Sorry. It was just so relaxing."

"The food's arrived. Hungry?" Kara asked, holding a plate towards me.

I took some crackers and cheese of various kinds. The water had given me enough energy that I wasn't as hungry as when I'd ordered it, allowing me to enjoy the food for its flavour. They were handcrafted crackers and local artisan cheeses. Enjoying the decadence, I ordered another pina colada.

After enjoying the hot water for another thirty minutes, we reluctantly pulled ourselves out before showering and changing. Once back in our cottage, Mist set to chopping leeks, while I prepared the salmon fillet for the barbeque on our private patio. After tossing the baby potatoes in olive oil, rosemary, salt, and pepper, I put the pan in the heated barbeque to roast. Kara brought me a virgin frozen peach daiquiri she'd whipped up, while adding plenty of rum to the rest.

"Salad's made," called Elise.

"Perfect. As soon as the potatoes are almost cooked, I'll add the leeks and put the salmon on. In the meantime, we can enjoy this glorious evening," I called back, as I lounged in one of the wicker patio chairs, feet up on a padded footstool.

With drinks in hand, Mist and Elise came out to join Kara and me out on the patio. The sun was getting lower on the horizon, but was still a few hours from setting. There was a gorgeous view of the nearby lake and rolling green mountains, with patches of forest on their lower slopes.

"It looks like there are some nice hiking trails on the nearby mountains," I pointed out. "Would anyone be up for a walk tomorrow morning before we start our spa day?"

"I'm in," offered Mist.

"Depending on how many of these I have, I might sleep in." Elise smiled, holding up her drink.

Kara laughed. "Sorry. Am I making them too strong?"

"Nope! Perfect. But since I'm kid-free this weekend, I'm going to indulge, so you feel free to hike without me tomorrow morning," she winked.

"I'll see how I feel in the morning, too," added Kara.

I smiled. I knew Kara would be up, but I was pleased at the way both of them were effortlessly fitting in with Elise. 

In a short time, our food was ready, and we headed inside to eat. The cottage had a gorgeous open-concept kitchen, dining area, and family room, with arched ceilings, skylights, hardwood floors, light oak cabinets, stainless steel appliances, and dark granite countertops. The round dining table was light oak, large enough to seat eight, with well-cushioned chairs.

Switching to a sparkling white wine for our dinner, Kara handed me a glass I knew was sparkling apple juice. Our conversation switched to favourite book authors over dinner, and I was fascinated to find out how well-read Kara and Mist were with modern fiction. It was a topic that hadn't come up between us previously.

Mist and Elise got our evening's entertainment set up while Kara and I cleared up the dishes, loading everything into the dishwasher, and turning it on. Settling into the couch with them with refreshed drinks, we spent the rest of the evening catching Kara up on Murdock episodes. 

As I looked between Elise and the two Valkyrie that had become so important to me, it struck me that perhaps I could keep my balance between the mortal and immortal worlds. Even though my friendship with Lynda and that circle of friends had imploded under the weight of my new life, perhaps it wasn't such a bad thing. Being mortal hadn't been what had put the nail in the coffin of my relationship with her, although my need to hide some things hadn't helped. Instead, it was the lack of healthy balance, boundaries, and expectations that had sunk us.

My friendship with Elise, although new, reinforced that it was possible to maintain ties with the mortal world. Loki had his friendship with Harry, and as we'd done today, there might be things I had to hide from my mortal friends, but it didn't mean that friendship wasn't valuable. Different levels of sharing truths didn't have to mean keeping all mortals at arms-length.

Sharing truths. I shook my head.

Gods, Loki had sure spun my head these last few days. Yet, the way he'd bared himself today, showing me the truthfulness of his regret, sorrow, and shame, while admitting the depth of his fears. There was no way I could hold a grudge. Not when I knew what it was to act out of fear. Hadn't I run from him out of fear, after all?

And I understood having fears, even if I didn't know his specific demons. 

That he'd faced them, and was doing his best to support me now, despite still being afraid something would happen to me, or to our son, well... it eased my own fears of not being valued, not being supported for my choices and career successes. Those scars from my ex couldn't hold me back with Loki at my side, showing me with word and deed that I could trust him with my vulnerabilities.

I looked down at the ring on my finger, and sent a pulse of love down the bond, smiling as a heated wave returned to wrap around me, flavoured with his unique essence. How had he known that I'd need more than words from him to reassure me? Just when I thought he didn't understand me, he proved me wrong. I loved him all the more for it.

Yeah, I couldn't blame him at all for struggling with fears.

After all, I still had my own fears about protecting our son, but those grew less each day as I gained confidence in my abilities and grew in my skills. I knew there was much more I needed to learn, and I trusted Frigga, Loki, Mist, and Kara to teach me.

It made me smile to watch Kara and Mist tease each other, Kara trying to guess the plot of the current episode, and Mist taunting her with her knowledge.

They were my best friends now, the sisters I'd always longed for.

I'd learned, and continued to learn, so much from them. Not just battle strategy, weapons, and fighting skills, but also how to be part of an immortal sisterhood. I could count on them in any situation, and knew they would always have my back, from fighting off beasts, venting about frustrating soulmates, or what colour to paint my toenails.

Or even just an evening watching television.

As the last episode of the first season ended, Kara protested stopping there. I didn't blame her. It was a cliffhanger, after all, but it was already after midnight. It took all of us promising to watch more tomorrow evening before she relented, and we headed to our respective rooms and beds.

I sank into the comfort of the soft bed, missing Loki's strong arms around me. In a couple of days, it would be August. A year ago, I'd boarded my flight to London, a flight that put me in the arms of a god, and changed my life in so many ways I could never have imagined.

Although it had taken time for me to adapt to all the changes both within myself and surrounding me, I finally had my solid footing. Between my immortal family, my immortal friends, and my soulmate who loved me enough to challenge his own fears, I could tackle any future challenges.